go through the motions

mo·tion

G g

Definitions of go through the motions words

noun go through the motions the action or process of moving or of changing place or position; movement. 1
noun go through the motions power of movement, as of a living body. 1
noun go through the motions the manner of moving the body in walking; gait. 1
noun go through the motions a bodily movement or change of posture; gesture. 1
noun go through the motions a proposal formally made to a deliberative assembly: to make a motion to adjourn. 1
noun go through the motions Law. an application made to a court or judge for an order, ruling, or the like. 1

before 1350

One of the 20% oldest English words

1350-1400; Middle English mocio(u)n < Latin mōtiōn- (stem of mōtiō), equivalent to mōt(us) (past participle of movēre to move) + -iōn- -ion

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 99% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

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